Description

Purple Hearts starring Ken Wahl, Cheryl Ladd, Stephen Lee, Annie McEnroe, Lee Ermie, Paul McCrane, Cyril O'Reilly, David Harris and directed by Sidney J. Furie. The Story: A Navy surgeon (Ken Wahl) and Navy nurse (Cheryl Ladd) fall in love while serving in Vietnam. In return for a leave request to visit her, he agrees to go on a hazardous mission. She fears that their feelings for each other may expose him to extra hazards. Their affection for each other is in striking contrast to the madness of the war around them. Comment: A surprisingly excellent film on several levels. First, it tells an interesting story of a wartime romance. He is a surgeon who volunteers for wartime duty in the Navy. She is an altruistic nurse with strong street-smarts. They meet at a Navy hospital in Da Nang where Wahl has accompanied a wounded soldier for emergency care. Complications arise when he tries to carry on a relationship since she is reluctant to allow any personal feelings to intrude into her nursing duties or the madness of war. The acting by both Wahl and Ladd is spot on - realistic but not overly sentimental. Purple Hearts also presents a picture of the Vietnam war on several levels. Along with Good Morning, Vietnam and Off Limits the film gives a glimpse of military activities in Vietnam's larger cities - Saigon and Da Nang - during the height of American involvement. The Vietnam scenes were filmed in the Philippines, but they're reasonable depictions of Vietnamese cities. The battle scenes are intense but realistic and not overly dramatic. Even the boredom of war is captured. In a lighter moment, watch for the scene when Stephen Lee questions Wahl and discovers his true reasons for wanting to go back to Da Nang - it is both hilarious and realistic to a fault. Near the end of the movie, the total confusion following a rocket attack on a BOQ in Da Nang is well done. Kudos to director Sidney Furie for an intelligent portrayal of women in the military and particularly nurses. Contrast Cheryl Ladd's sweaty, gritty, dead serious portrayal of a Navy nurse in wartime to the almost cartoon-like performance by Kate Beckinsale in Pearl Harbor . Several scenes in Purple Hearts show activities aboard the hospital ship USS Repose (the scenes were filmed aboard the USS Sanctuary in Bremerton). These brief scenes are excellent portrayals of a hospital ship - bustling, crowded, confusing - and saving a lot of lives. To 9,000 wounded US Soldiers and Marines the USS Repose was fondly known as 'The Angel of the Orient.' The closing scenes were filmed at American Lake VA Hospital near Tacoma. Factory new item from the Warner Archive Collection Media-on-Demand series on recorded media. Per the label, the film has running time of 115 minutes. The film has English audio, no subtitles, and is presented in Widescreen format. Per the label, there are no 'extras'. Per Warner's website, this disc is designed to play on DVD players in North America. It may not play on PlayStations or similar game devices. Please see seller's other items for interesting and hard to find video DVD titles. SHIPPING: Within the US (anywhere with a Zip code), item ships free by First Class Mail with Delivery Confirmation. To Canada , UK , Europe and other destinations, please see the Shipping and Payments tab. Buyers outside the US or Canada please contact the seller before bidding or buying.